Front Rack Step-Ups / Chin-Ups Superset*
1A) Front Rack Step-Ups
Perform 3 x 8-12 reps on each leg. Start the cycle light enough to make 12 reps on each leg without too much difficulty, and move up in weight week to week from there. Use your non-dominant leg to set the weight and only do as much weight and as many reps as that side can perform. The end goal by the end of the cycle is to perform 8-12 good reps on each leg with about 1/3 of your Back Squat 1-rep max. Use a height that allows you to be at full depth (hip crease below knee) when the working leg is on the box. Come to full standing using the working leg before the trail leg touches down for balance. Do not use the trail leg to help you stand up. Use the trail leg as little as possible to push off from, and use a tempo in which the down/eccentric phase of the movement is slower than the up/concentric phase. The barbell comes off the floor. Stop the set when you’re not sure you can do another rep or two (i.e., do not bail a bar on a box).
1B) Chin-Ups or Supinated-Grip Body Rows
Performance
Perform 4 sets of max reps. Once you can no longer clear your chin over the bar, your set is over. Each rep starts from a dead hang. Initiate the movement by pulling the shoulders down away from the ears and pull the elbows as far down and back as possible. If you can touch your chest to the bar on each rep, then do it. You should really be feeling these in your lats.
Fitness
Perform 3 challenging (but submaximal) sets of 2-4 reps using bands or a small partner assist as needed to achieve full range of motion, followed by a 4th set for max reps. These should be tough sets in a low rep range with the goal of performing around 10-15 total reps. If you can do them unassisted but only 1 at a time, then pepper in as many singles as you can in between sets of Step-Ups during the lifting segment. Start and finish the superset with a set of Chins to get all 4 sets in.
*Superset means that you perform a set of exercise A (in this case the Press) and then after a short rest, 30 to 90 seconds, you perform a set of exercise B (in this case the Chin-Ups or Supinated-Grip Body Rows). You then rest a short period before returning to exercise A and continue in this fashion until all warm up and work sets are completed.
Post work to comments.
Exposure 7 of 8
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AMRAP 9 Minutes:
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21… add 3 reps until the call of time
Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
Box Jumps 24/20″
Go unbroken on wall balls for as long as you can. Do your best to keep your toes on the floor and stay organized. Box jumps are Rx’d as a two-foot take off. Step-ups are considered a scale.
Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.
Steph M. and Andrew S. are doing the Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge together this year. This fit couple sat down with Coach Fox to talk about how it’s going, what challenges they’ve faced, and what kind of results they’ve seen so far. Enjoy!
Want to Work at the Front Desk?
CFSBK is looking for new talent to staff our beloved Front Desk! Responsibilities include handling inquires from walk-ins, managing basic membership issues, light cleaning/organization, and other miscellaneous duties. Ideally, we’d like to hire from within so that candidates are already familiar with CrossFit and CFSBK, but we are open to talking to new folks if they’ve got good people skills and are committed to joining the gym.
On top of an hourly wage, Front Desk staff will also receive a comped membership. We are looking for people who keep a consistent schedule and commit to six months of work with us (barring extenuating circumstances). Preference will be given to candidates with the flexibility to change shifts in the new year.
We will be interviewing this month and hiring a new staff member for immediate training. The shifts we are looking to fill are below, so before applying, please make sure these openings fit with your schedule:
Saturday 12pm-4:15pm
Email Charlie [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com to inquire and include Front Desk in the subject line.
Iron Maidens Volunteers Needed!
Interested in volunteering for Iron Maidens? We’d love your help on this very fun day! There are a variety of ways to be involved. Fill out this volunteer form to learn more and share your availability. Check out photos from last year’s event to get a sense of what it’s all about.
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
Write Your Open Story CrossFit Games
Game Changes: Ibtihaj Muhammed Unsung Heroines
Why is that woman still taking notes at our gym?
@Anonymous – I've suspected for quite a long time that several members of our gym are working on unauthorized biographies of me. That might explain it. I've lived a long and fascinating life . . .
Or that woman is just writing down cues from the coaches. One or the other.
That woman is Katie. She's an anthropologist and gym member. You can read more about her here:
http://crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com/workout-of-the-day/2016/5/26/rack-jerk-diane.html
Oh yeah, AG was awesome as usual yesterday. Second part of the workout was brutal. So.Close.To.A.Strict.Muscle.Up. Made it over the rings for the first time but could not position myself well enough for the press out!!! And per my ladies first rule, waiting for Allie to get hers!
I'm with Jay, AG last night was so great! Kipping pullups were happening. So glad this class exists and uncoordinated people like me have a chance to practice things that require coordination on a regular basis. (And also to be inspired by people like Katie the anthropologist, who also happens to be a butterfly-pullup BADASS.)
Diet / shill post: Throwing this here if anyone is interested in trying out Hungry Root – $20 off your first bundle. I get $20 off if you use it as well.
https://www.hungryroot.com/?promo=VXL72N
It's become my go to "I have no time to cook dinner" option. Vegetable noodles + optional grilled chicken for added protein. Super easy stuff and stops me from ordering shitty takeout when I get off the train.
Jay-Star, I don't think that nasty women count as ladies, so I guess that means you're gunna have to get that muscle-up first. Do 25 sit-ups then get on the rings and just sit through! You HAVE it already!
Anonymous: If you want to know why Katie is taking notes then ask her! She's the nicest đ It probably is a bio about Jay though: how he found crossfit and why he quit once he got a muscle-up. NY Times Best Seller list for sure.
Hi Anonymous, excellent question! I imagine you arenât the only one to think or thinking this!
As others have already commented on this thread (thanks for the badass comment, Stella, and nicest comment, Allie, so great to work out with you both last night!), I am a cultural anthropologist, my name is Katie, and I am currently conducting ethnographic research on CrossFit.
KLove posted the link to my initial blurb on the blog, which links to my academic page at Brooklyn College, where I am a tenured professor of Anthropology. I have been doing ethnographic research for over 15 years, have published popular (for example, https://barbend.com/crossfit-anthropology/ or https://barbend.com/shared-meaning-community-fitness/) and academic articles, and recently published a book based on previous research. In these, one can see the kinds of things I will be writing from this research.
I have various permissions to conduct my observational work â including university ethics review boards and affiliate owners (I am not only conducting research at this gym). That being said, I donât write down any names and am uninterested in linking things to individual people. I am focused on the culture of the gym, the culture of CrossFit, like how even the gender ratio in classes is, the focus on metrics and the use of whiteboards, etc.
If people are interested in providing more individual perspectives, that occurs via interview or questionnaire. These are all stored as anonymous files, as a number. (The assistance in this regard has been wonderful and I am so very appreciative to those who have provided their expertise and insights!) When it comes to the book/articles I will write, I do something called âcomposites.â When I did my research in the childrenâs mental institution, I write about âDerrickâ and âArthurâ but these people are just emblematic of what I saw, not real people. This is a standard anthropology practice to protect the people we study.
I hope this clarifies some of the confusion. I understand; it is weird to have someone hanging around taking notes for hours at a time! SO thank you for asking, Anonymous.
If you have remaining concerns, or more detailed questions â and this goes for anyone, at any time! â about what it is I am doing, writing, thinking about, or focusing on, please donât hesitate to talk to me. I wonât bite and, hopefully, I can clear things up and alleviate confusion or worry.
Also, if folks would prefer emailing questions/concerns please do so here: maxesandprs@gmail.com or KHejtmanek@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P.S. The unauthorized biography of Jay-Star is next on the list of projects. Tentatively titled: "He's Hilarious!"
AND to answer the "still" part of the question, why am I "*still* taking notes at the gym?" (again, excellent question!):
Understanding complex cultural knowledge and practice takes a long time. The average ethnographic research project lasts 18 months, or anywhere from 1-2 years. Anthropologists argue this allows for a more valid or accurate study, as compared to dropping in for a few weeks or even months. The long-term attention to cultural life is what separates anthropology from other social sciences or journalism.
Anthropologists become part of the community; we try and live the cultural life along with the people/communities we study. We believe this helps us understand the complexity of that cultural life more accurately, which is the whole point – to understand cultural life from the point of view of the community member. My goal as a social scientist is to "get it right" and that takes extended time and effort.
So I will be observing, participating, taking notes, gathering questionnaires, conducting interviews, participating in social events, and being a community/gym member for most of 2017.
Again, if you (or anyone!) have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. I will do my best to answer them!
8 a.m. w/Ro.
Step-ups: 90#x8x3. Definitely on the heavy side but form has improved to the point where I feel comfortable with them.
Chins: 5-4-4-5. Wasn't feeling these, but up from last week.
Metcon: Through round of 18 + 30 reps. Really wanted to get through 21 but ran out of time. Wall balls all unbroken but had to take a few no-reps early on for airballs until I got settled.
Special thanks to Ro's RATM station for the rare gift of Cake's 1996 breakout hit "The Distance" during the step-ups. Few songs make me feel like I'm 10 years old and living in Los Angeles again more than that one.
meat CSA pickup and EGGS FOR SALE tonight, 6-8:30 bring small bills, please. i'll only have six dozen so step right up!
"Anthropologists become part of the community; we try and live the cultural life along with the people/communities we study."
If I needed any convincing that this is true, your butterfly pullups last night would have sold me. Seriously. Takes some serious commitment to learn that shiz.
@Anonymous
I've been wondering the same thing for months as well. People come to the gym to relax and forget about the world. Someone lurking taking notes for a year or so is irksome to say the least.
Wow guys! Can we not all just be happy we are contributing to to something which may well help us, as a race, find better ways of communicating and empathizing with each other, and working together? I think what Katie is doing is important and actually quite fascinating. If you don't want to be a part of it, I'm sure you can let her know and maybe you won't be stressed out by her presence anymore.
Really, as a person who works there, the last thing any of us wants to think is that someone is stressed out by anything that happens. I am sure a direct email, rather than an anonymous blog comment would be a better way to approach this, no?
Anyhow- yes- I did the AG workout today on my lonesome and it was great!
"that woman"
really?
Got cupping and acupuncture yesterday. Neck and back feels better than ever. Will be going back every week for awhile. Enchanted forest music soothes the soul.
Came in with a plan, Ditched it for McdowellFit
Snatch complex: High hang + mid hang + floor
25kg, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 54 (F from floor)
Last one was a good fail. Great pull and caught it well in the shoulders, just a little unbalanced in my footwork and lost it behind. Apparently I scared JB from the nosebleeds, heard her gasp in fear as she watched from the staircase.
Chipper WOD:
60 cal row (3:54)
50 power snatch 55# (10/10/8/8/7/4/3)
40 BJs
30 T2B (10/8/6/6)
20 strict HSPU (4/4/3/3…blah blah until I got to 20)
10 power clean @ 155# (singles)
5 muscle ups (singles)
Completed in 19:11. Row was easy. Grip was the limited on the power snatch, need to keep working grip stamina, BJs and BJs, T2B were fine, broke them up to save some hip drive for my power cleans and muscle ups. Manstands are going to be the move up until the open. These were prescribed as kipping but I need to re-establish strength here. Power cleans felt GREAT. I still get a little messy around this weight, but I seemed to have forgotten my starfish habit (almost) since I've been hurt. not perfect, but improvement. Muscle ups felt SNAPPY. Catching into a tight L sit as opposed to a broken position has helped me immensely, and I haven't done these in weeks (thanks Brett! You son of a gun)
Cash out: lat mash, t-spine love, and a solid ten min on the assault bike while sippin on the ol BCAAs.
Post WOD wings @ rock shop w/ the little one and j schneids. Ran into a few of the brainz and gainz doing their thing. Based off of the cheering from the other room it sounds like they were crushing the competition. Mighty proud.
Trolls gonna troll.
630PM with Melrose Place
Step-ups at 75#
Chin-ups: 15, 9, 9, 7
WOD – 3 boxjumps short of completing the 18 round.
Step ups: 3×10 @ 45#. These were torture even though the weight is so light.
WOD: 18+10
Only 4 (or maybe 5) no reps on the wall balls! Coaches were spot on- easy through round of 12, then it all changed!
If you're worried about someone taking notes…. you're not working out hard enough…. get back to it!!!